After a tough road trip last weekend, the Durango High School girls basketball team needed a bounce-back effort at home, and that’s what the Demons delivered in a commanding 68-20 win over Grand Junction Central on Friday.
The Demons’ offense struggled at times in their road losses at Fruita Monument and at Grand Junction last weekend, but Durango had its best offensive showing of the season on Thursday.
Durango used its strong defense to create countless transition opportunities. In the half-court, Durango moved the ball well to find open looks all over the court. The Demons’ guards found driving lanes for easy scores. On defense, the Demons stopped the Warriors from getting into any type of rhythm or offensive set. When it wasn’t turning the ball over, Grand Junction Central was forced to shoot contested shots inside the paint or chuck desperation 3-pointers.
The margin could’ve been even greater, but the Demons took their foot off the gas with their bench in, as every player scored for Durango.
“I feel really good about it,” Durango head coach Lauren Moran said. “It was really nice to see our offense click the way it did. For us to move the ball around as well as we did, and to limit turnovers, I think we had 17 assists which is certainly a season high for us, as far assists. So that was a positive.”
Durango improved to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League with the win. The Demons’ 68 points were a season-high and the 48-point margin of victory was also a season high.
Senior guard Claire Goodwin led the Demons with 21 points on 9-15 shooting from the field, 2-6 from 3-point range, 3-4 from the free-throw line, six rebounds, six steals and four assists. Senior forward Aysia Mathews added 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, 0-1 from 3-point range and 3-4 from the free-throw line.
Grand Junction Central dropped to 2-16 overall and 0-6 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. Senior Bianca Berens led the Warriors with 11 points.
The Demons were super active early in the first quarter, getting their hands in passing lanes and swiping the ball away from ball handlers. Durango was constantly in transition. Back-to-back steals and scores gave Durango a 12-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first.
“Coming into the game, I emphasized to them that the last time that we played Central, we shot a whole bunch of threes in the first quarter,” Moran said. “I just encouraged everyone to not settle for threes in the first quarter and particularly how we wanted to try and penetrate, as well as to work the ball inside.”
Grand Junction Central found its offense in the paint late in the first quarter, but a nice screen by senior forward Ryne Neiman freed up Goodwin to nail a mid-range jumper. Goodwin then hit two free throws to put Durango up 20-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Durango continued to produce on the offensive end. Mathews and junior guard Gracie Fitzpatrick were especially active, with both players crashing the glass and finishing in the paint. Fitzpatrick, a quality defensive player, also tipped a few passes to create some turnovers. She had 3 steals off the bench in the first half.
The Demons’ offense really picked up at the end of the second quarter. Durango got out in transition, and Mathews continued to finish inside. She had a great pass to a cutting Goodwin, who finished with a floater in the lane, to put Durango up 36-10 with two minutes left. Roan’s second 3-pointer gave the Demons a 42-13 halftime lead.
“Her confidence, offensively, has continued to grow,” Moran said about Mathews. “We see incredible potential in her. She’s one of our strongest defenders … She has the ability to score the ball, which we saw tonight and haven’t seen. But we see it in practice all the time, so it’s also not a surprise.”
Durango’s dominance continued in the third quarter, with Goodwin showing her scoring chops by getting to the rim and getting any shot she wanted. Plenty of Demons showed their ability to get the ball in the basket as the Warriors couldn’t do anything on offense against Durango’s pressing defense and strong rebounding. The Demons led 60-18 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Durango reserves, sophomore Annwyn Austin and junior Grier Metz, both scored, getting the Durango bench on its feet.
The Demons face Palisade on Saturday at noon at home. Palisade won the previous matchup this season, 40-27.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
